What do you NOT plug into the power conditioner...

Vineman, I think you have to let your ears be your guide. My preamp & power amp have inductive power supplies and I've not found power conditioners to do anything positive at all. In fact, they sound worse plugged into a conditioner. My digital gear and phono preamp do sound better plugged into the conditioner however.

Tgrisham, I curious why you think that the whole house surge protector isn't up to the job of protecting audio electronics? The manufacturer of our whole house surge protecter seems to indicate otherwise. After having our garage door electronics and door bell circuits/transformers fried after a lightning storm, I had whole house surge protection installed. Here in central Florida, it's just a matter of time before you get a major surge even if you have underground utilites!

Photon,

I think its just paranoia. I have read that the whole house protection keeps your house from burning down but doesn't always protect the delicate electronics. There's only one way to find out! In Missouri we have had a whole season of electrical storms but I have had no direct hits, just blackouts, brownouts and spikes. The Leviton whole house surge protectors (one for each main circuit box) don't give a protection guarantee but the individual units do. Gimmick? Probably. Just makes me wonder. I would love to have all the electronics powered directly from the dedicated lines. Maybe I'll have to man up and go direct. I don't think the Class D amps I have will notice the difference. The Modwright pre-amp might.

Without surge limiting power line coneditioning devices inline with my gear, I lost all but my SS amp following a strike nearby… not directly. All the low voltage stuff died. PCs, Telephones, scanner etc.

I use .passive plc now. Save for the preamp… when things get stormy around here in Central Fla… I just unplug the pre. Otherwise I do nothing. All has been quite well since the introduction of these passive units. Albeit I use a mid level RSA Haley on my main gear. A PSA Duet for the mass fi and pc stuff. Another Duet lives in the bedroom on non ded ckts and I’m very very glad I’ve got it there. 3 times now the PSA Duets have saved my bacon…. And my gear from either surges OR lightening. 2 surges 1 close hit by lightening.

Something to consider.

AS was said, by myself and others … even passive units reduce some of the impactfulness, dynamics, extreme edge of details… but everything wee do here by and large amounts to some degree of compromise in the biggest percemntage of cases…. So losing a touch of leading edge info yet gaining an easier listening experience, and as well, protecting my investment is a compromise I can and do live with most handily.